Contents

Get in

By bus

Getting to Banaue directly might take a lot of effort if you're not taking a direct route from Manila or if you don't have a tour agency to help you. There are few possible ways to get to Banaue — Manila - Banaue (direct), Manila - Baguio - Banaue, Manila - Baguio - Bontoc - Banaue.

Ohayami Trans, Lacson Ave. cor. Fajardo St., Sampaloc, Manila (Just near University of Sto. Tomas or take the train from the Legarda Station then just take a trickshaw to the terminal), ☎(+63)09276493055, [1]. Provides trips directly to Banaue. They have three daily trips - 9pm, 9:45pm and 10pm leaving their terminal₱450.

Ohayami Trans

Manila-Solano, Nueva Vizcaya-Banaue ifugao - buses heading to Tuguegarao (e.g. Baliwag transit, Victory, etc.) pass by the town of Solano. Several jeepneys ply the Solano-Banaue route or the Solano-Lagawe, Ifugao route. From Lagawe, one can then take another jeepney to Banaue.

By car

The distance between the Balintawak Cloverleaf, in north Manila at the beginning of the North Luzon Expressway and the Welcome to Banaue sign, is about 332 km. The road is paved all the way to Banaue. Travel time can be as long as 9 hours due to the several blind curves through the mountains.

Best day to travel is on good Friday of Lenten season, Christmas day and new year's day. It will take about 7 hours only by car with a reliable driver.

Get around

Jeepneys (converted jeeps/bus) and tricycles (trikes) (little motorcycles with side cars) are easily available around Banaue. Vans can be hired with driver/guide. Expect to hike some to great places to see that are not on the roads.

There is a public jeepney plying the Banaue-to-saddle-point (start of trek to Batad village) route daily. See Get Out, below for more info.

See

Sign in Banaue describing the rice terraces.

Rice terraces. Sometimes called the "Eighth Wonder of the World", the 2000 years old Banaue rice terraces are a UNESCO World Heritage site, and while many are still in use today, the outer rims are showing signs of deterioration. They were created by the Ifugao (local native people), in a massive engineering project to cover the sides of the valleys (probably 200 meters from floor to rim) for several miles, irrigated by means of mountain streams and springs that have been tapped and channelled into canals that run downhill through the rice terraces.

Museum of Cordilleran Sculpture, ☎011-63-919-774-8507, [2]. The Museum of Cordilleran Sculpture was founded by George and Candida Ida Schenk over 30 years ago, and evolved from a small antique store in Manilla, into dream to preserve a culture that is slowly dying. There are over 1,000 pieces in the collection of the Museum, ranging from large-scale, carved wooden Bululs, masks to smaller scale figures, textiles, utilitarian objects, and composite objects

Ifugao carving at Museum of Cordilleran Sculpture

Viewpoint. On the road to Bontoc, there is a lot of viewpoints with beautiful panoramas on the rice terraces. Walking from Banaue up to to main view point will take 1 to 2 hours, depending how often you stop to enjoy the superb view. Try to go as far as possible from Banaue: the higher yoou will go, the more beautiful it will be! Count P100 by tricycle from Banaue. From there it's possible to go down by foot to Banaue through the rice terraces (2-3 hours) but the way is quite difficult and you may need a guide for this walk.(16.9188889,121.0588889)

Ilob Village Inn, (Poblacion, Banaue, 1 km from bus terminals). Native Ifugao house with restaurant, surrounded with rice terraces. You can also request to see a traditional Ifugao show.

Drink

Native rice wine or sugarcane wine at all inns and lodges.

Sleep

The grand old lady, Banaue Hotel, is probably the priciest option you'll find but offers regular cultural shows in the evenings (Ifugao dance and music) that are also open to non-guests. The pool is small but a nice place to hang out when you're tired of trekking up and down rice terraces.

Closer to town, there are a multitude of hostels and guesthouses offering much more reasonably priced accommodations.

Greenview Lodge, ☎(6374) 3864022, [4]. * <sleep name="Native Village Inn, Uhaj" alt="" address="Uhaj village, 9 km from Banaue" directions="" phone="(63)9164056743" url="http://www.nativevillage-inn.com" checkin="" checkout="" price="" lat="" long="">Lovely view but the road getting there is, at present, not yet paved. And please make sure that you have a ride going to the area and back to Banaue Proper, prior to checking-inn. There are not a lot of available transportation going through the area. So its important to do make sure you have proper transportation to assist you.) (,"")

Banaue Homestay, Poblacion Banaue Ifugao, ☎url="".

Sanafe Lodge and Restaurant, (next door to the market), ☎6374-386-4085, [5]. Nice balcony at the back with pleasant views. Basic but comfortable rooms, plus a dormitory.

Banaue View Inn, ☎(6374) 386-40-78.

Halfway Lodge, (From the tourism turn back on it and go down the street on the left. It's the third lodge of the street.), ☎(6374) 3864082. checkin: 10am; checkout: 10am. P200 for a room with shared bathroom

Contact

There are several internet cafes around the town, the rate ranges from 50 to 20 pesos per hour.

Get out

Batad. While the rice terraces of Banaue are mud-walled, those of Batad are stone-walled. They form an amphitheatre and are an impressive sight. Fifteen km. on bad roads, followed by a 40 minute downhill hike, but worth it. There are a number of hostels and guest houses in the small village there, overlooking the rice terraces. If weather and time permit, Batad is probably a better place to spend the night than Banaue. There is a public jeepney plying the Banaue to Saddle Point (start of trek to Batad village) route daily. Banaue to Saddle Point is around 2 to 4 pm while the Saddle Point to Banaue jeepney is around 9:30 am to 10:30 am. They may take extra trips during the peak season (e.g. Holy week). Head on to the Banaue public market and ask around. Fare is P100 to P150 for tourists while the locals pay P45.

Bontoc and Sagada. By hiring a van in Banaue (ask in your hotel) you can visit these two centres as a day trip. Bontoc is a busy town but has an excellent museum of Ifugao culture. Sagada has the impressive Sumaging limestone cave (take a change of clothes and leave your best shoes in Banaue), burial chambers and hanging coffins. En route to Bontoc you pass the incredibly beautiful Bayo terraces.

Hapao. A half-day trip from Banaue. More terraces. Steep steps lead down to some, giving easy access for a close-hand inspection.

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!